Free The Curse by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Dianna Love Page B

hated to feed Tristan’s distrust of Macha and Brina, Evalle had to admit he had a valid point.
    “And that’s why I’m getting my group somewhere safe soon.”
    Evalle snapped her fingers, excited. “Wait. I haven’t told you the good news. That’s why I’ve been trying to find you. Macha is the one who got me out of prison. She petitioned the Tribunal for Alterants to be recognized as a viable race … and , wait for it, Macha has offered amnesty to all Alterants who come forward and swear loyalty to her. They’ll be safe as long as they can keep their beasts under control.”
    Tristan listened with interest, unable to hide his surprise at that last declaration.
    She beamed at her accomplishment. “See? You can stay.”
    He started shaking his head. “I can’t give her or the Beladors that kind of trust, not after what they did to me.”
    Evalle tried not to lose her patience with him since he’d been locked away inside a spellbound enclosure in a South American jungle … twice. But he couldn’t turn his back on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
    With Macha, this could mean a life-or- death opportunity.
    “This is a limited offer with a short time span, Tristan.”
    He scoffed at her. “That’s what I mean. So much for a sincere offer.”
    “It is sincere, but I haven’t been able to find one Alterant in three weeks to bring forward as a show of good faith from our kind. And now an Alterant—or a Rías—has killed one of Dakkar’s bounty hunters, so Dakkar’s screaming for justice.” She could see his disgust at her taking Macha’s side in this, but fair was fair. “How can Macha stand before a Tribunal and support us when no Alterant besides me is willing to come forward?”
    Tristan’s gaze traveled everywhere but her face. He muttered, “She should have thought about that five years ago when she had Brina lock me up for no reason.”
    “I’m not discounting what she did to you, but things have changed and she’s making you—and every other Alterant—an offer you aren’t going to find anywhere else. She’ll probably accept Webster and Aaron, too, once we show her their control.”
    “There is no way in hell I’m trusting any offer from Macha.”
    Evalle kept her voice calm and understanding. “You’re the only person I’ve met who claims to have information on the origin of Alterants and what we all have in common.”
    “It’s not just a claim and it’s more about our origins in particular. Mine, yours and my sister’s.”
    “Okay. Great. I need that information and your help now while we have this chance to become a recognized race. You may be willing to live with a target on your back forever, but other Alterants deserve the chance for freedom.”
    That must have struck a chord in Tristan. He leaned forward as if reconsidering his stance, then shook off some thought and sat back, arms crossed. “I’m not sharing anything unless you talk to my guy.”
    They were back to that. “If I agree to go with you tonight, then in return I want you to talk to Brina about Alterants.”
    “Not a chance.”
    “Why not?”
    “I’m not meeting with Brina or Macha. The minute I come out of hiding, I’ll lose any hope of getting back to my sister or leaving the country with my group.”
    “VIPER is everywhere, Tristan. There is no safe place where you won’t be hunted.”
    His mouth set in a stubborn line. She was not going to get him to budge on that point. “If I can guarantee that you can walk away, would you consider speaking to the Tribunal?”
    A muscle twitched in his cheek. “Can you guarantee that?”
    “I have to talk to Tzader first. If he says he can do it, then you’ll be safe. So what do you say?”
    “Meet with my guy and I’ll talk to Tzader. If he convinces me I can’t be trapped, then I’ll consider a meeting on neutral ground.”
    That was a step closer, but Evalle needed to end up with something tangible tonight. “Okay, but as a minimum I want what you